


It All Started with Cats

by TransientGuest



Category: Original Work
Genre: Amputation, Bears, M/M, Summer Camp, Talking to animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-20 07:18:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4778462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransientGuest/pseuds/TransientGuest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He supposed it all started with cats.  Felinus familarius or whatever the scientific name actually was.  They had been around Edam as long as he could remember.  And he had been able to talk to them almost as long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet Edam

He supposed it all started with cats. Not the musical or some crazy acronym like Clowns Around The Store but the animal. Felinus familarius or whatever the scientific name actually was.

Those cats.

They had been around Edam as long as he could remember. And he had been able to talk to them almost as long. He often asked them questions about the weird things they did like, "Why do you bring me dead animals?"

And the cats would grudgingly oblige him with an answer to the question in their own special way. If he remembered correctly the answer to that one had been something like, "I want you to fuckin' eat the stupid bastard. Obviously your teeth haven't grown in properly yet and your hunting skills are shit. So I'm helping you."

He would often play with the cats and have long philosophical conversations with them. His parents were not too worried by this behavior. They wrote it off as a phase.

Like an imaginary friend.

They figured as their son matured he'd grow out of this strange little phase. But as the years passed he didn't seem to be getting over this little phase of his. And going to school seemed to make this problem worse.

See when Edam started school he didn't realize he wasn't like other people. He thought everyone could talk to cats just like him. Kindergarten quickly became an eye-opening experience for the young boy.

It didn't take him long to realize that being able to talk to cats wasn't something everybody could do. And the way the cats talked, specifically certain four letter words that they spoke, wasn't tolerated in classrooms.

He shared his weekend with the class once saying, "My cat and I went hunting for fucking rodents with shit for brains." When the teacher asked where he learned such harsh language and Edam answered he learned them from Bianca, his tabby, well… the teacher wasn't amused.

His parents, likewise, were not amused when they had to go to a parent-teacher conference in regards to their son's rotten mouth. And when they found out who their son accused of teaching him the words they knew it was time to put an end to his nonsense.

No. They didn't get rid of the cat. It was a family pet and getting on in age. And they were all quite attached to the pretty orange tabby.

They set their son up with a counselor.

Edam was sent to this person week after week. He would sit down and be told that cats couldn't talk, he couldn't talk to them and they didn't understand each other for forty-five minutes to an hour every week. But through it all he insisted that he could do all those things. Bianca was his friend. After a couple of months with the same amount of progress his parents decided that the counseling wasn't happening often enough. He started meeting the counselor three times a week after that.

By the time he was ten Edam had gotten wise. Nobody was going to convince him he couldn't understand what the cats were saying. He knew he could. But that didn't mean that he had to broadcast it to the rest of the world. He kept his gift hidden, only talking to them when he was on his own. And he started lying to his parents and counselor. He started telling them what they wanted to hear. And in less than three weeks the therapist claimed her work was done. The boy was cured of his eccentrics.

Also at ten, Edam realized that his gift was growing. He could hear dogs. And Horses. He loved talking to horses. And pretty much any domesticated animal.

Then slowly he began to hear more. The voices were muffled at first like he was listening through water, but eventually they came in focus, nice and clear. Zoos were fun. He'd go to make friends. By the time he was sixteen he could hear and talk to pretty much every animal around him. He often disappeared for weekends to go hiking. The chatter of the animals in the woods soothed him. He loved to walk and listen to them chatter.

So it came as no surprise that five years later found him working at a camp. Actually the people most surprised by his chosen line of work were his parents. They argued that Edam didn't really like people. Why would he go to a place swarming with them? And they were right. Edam didn't talk to people. Because people didn't talk to him. They thought he was weird. And more than a little antisocial.

Truth was he just didn't know how to interact with them. Animals were straightforward with their words and very nonjudgmental. He didn't understand all the convoluted undertones that were laced into human speech.

And it wasn't like he was a counselor at the camp. No, he had a job perfect for him. There was little to no human contact and he was outside for large chunks of his day which was great for talking to the animals.

He was the grounds keeper.

The only times he even needed to interact with people were when someone needed him to fix something or when he went to meals.

Usually he would wrap some food up and take it back to his living area to eat alone. When he stayed to eat in the dining hall nobody ever approached him. So it came as a huge surprise one evening when a newly hired counselor walked up to him during the meal and started talking to him. He was so surprised that he was struck stupid and couldn't form a coherent sentence. He managed to do a great impression of a fish.

All the man did was give a hearty laugh and continue on with their conversation. Over the course of the summer the two grew close and Edam could honestly say the man was his best human friend.

Edam learned that the man's name was Jerry. He was all hard muscle and at a hulking 6' 5" looked way more the part of grounds keeper than Edam could ever hope to look. He had cropped hair and kind set brown eyes that radiated pure warmth. They were Edam's favorite feature that the man possessed. If those eyes weren't so kind Jerry would be a very intimidating figure. Nigh unapproachable. But he wasn't. He was a gentle giant.

The behemoth of a man was also very straight forward. And Edam liked that quality very much. It reminded him of the way the animals talked to him. In fact when they had first met Jerry had come out and said he had expected Edam to be the swimming director of the camp because of his lithe build and had laughed good naturedly when Edam said he was the grounds keeper. Saying him having that decision was a surprise.

They became good friends and stayed in contact over the winter season through the wonders of social media. So when Edam learned that Jerry was coming back to camp the next summer he was happy. Everything would be as it was the previous summer and Edam would be content with life.

But their relationship wasn't the same as the last summer.

Edam didn't know what was wrong but he seemed to make Jerry angry more often than not and the man would go storming off in a huff, leaving Edam standing alone.

In fact, that's exactly what had just happened…

They had been talking all nice and civilized when Edam said something that caused Jerry to growl in exasperation; throw his hands in the air and stomp off, disgusted with the other male.

Edam wanted to talk about what had just happened, but didn't know any other humans that he actually liked talking to. So he turned to the animals for advice. He walked through the woods in search of his best buddy, Harvey.

"Hi Edam," he heard as he was passing a tree. Looking up into the branches he saw a squirrel.

"Hey. How's it going? Have you seen Harvey?" He asked, and then wondered if he should have waited to ask another animal. Squirrels didn't have the most reliable memory when it came to… well most things really. After all they couldn't even remember where they hid their nuts.

But to his surprise the squirrel tried to answer, "Yeah, I saw him earlier or… later near the river… or… the hemlock grove… or… No." He stopped to compose himself, shaking his little head and then said with surprising certainty, "It was definitely near the blueberries."

"Okay?" Edam wasn't sure if the squirrel really was sure that Harvey was near any of those places, but he figured he might as well look. As he walked through the woods he continued to get excited greetings from the animals in the woods.

When he reached the blueberries he began looking for Harvey but didn't see him anywhere. Right when Edam was ready to move on to another of the squirrel's suggested areas there was a snapping of a branch. The rustling of a tree. He turned around slowly and came face to face with a giant black bear.


	2. Harvey's Advice

Now, as part of beginning of the year staff training, Edam had been taught exactly what to do in this situation. You were supposed to make yourself big by putting your arms above your head and make lots of noise. Bears couldn't see too well and they'd, in theory, get scared and run away.

But instead of doing this like a good little nature boy he rapidly closed the distance between him and the bear swiftly wrapping his arms around the bear's neck in a tight embrace. "Hey Harvey," Edam greeted the bear fondly.

"Edam, it's been ages since I've see you." The bear said, playfully nipping at the boy's dark locks causing Edam to smile. "How's my favorite human?"

The smile fell from Edam's face and he sighed.

Harvey's ear twitched. He might not have the best eyesight but he knew exactly what that sigh meant. There were troubles. With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for people. And lately the person causing all the trouble seemed to be somebody named Jerry. He kept on storming off and leaving Edam alone and confused.

The bear lay down on the ground. "How about you sit down with me and tell me what's wrong," he patted the ground next to him, offering the human a seat.

"I just don't understand why he's like that," the man began. And Harvey realized that Jerry had stormed off yet again. Shouldn't have been much of a surprise to the bear. Lately every time Edam found him it was because he wanted to talk about another confusing situation with Jerry.

"Well, what were you doing this time?" Harvey asked trying his best to understand the human's problems.

Edam sighed, "He wanted me to join him stargazing tonight. And I told him I couldn't."

Harvey had a feeling the situation was more complicated than Edam just made it. "Is that exactly what he said?"

"Well, no," Edam admitted.

"What were his exact words?" the bear pressed.

"He asked if I would like to spend an evening under the stars with him," the man's face was tinted a light pink.

Over the last few weeks he had gotten the sense that this Jerry fellow liked Edam a great deal more than a simple friend liked someone. And Harvey knew his suspicions were correct. He decided it was time to tell Edam.

But what did humans call something like that? Bears called it wooing. It was a game of sorts. Would Edam know what he meant if he called it that? Oh well, Edam was smart. He'd figure it out. "It sounds like he's trying to woo you."

"What?" Edam asked in a disbelieving hush.

"Well, there was this sweet black bear I liked and I invited her to eat berries with me, told her she'd taste paradise or something like that. We've had a thing for a little while now. If I were human I suppose I'd like to look at the stars with someone who was special to me."

Edam didn't say anything for a while. He looked lost in thought. "Do you really think that could be what's wrong with him?" He sounded unsure.

Harvey knew Edam was skeptical. He knew that it was hard for people to be open about their feelings. It was hard for bears too. And not everyone was understanding of relationships between members of the same sex. Harvey was an old bear, but his mama had taught him that everyone was the same, no matter who they loved. The important thing was _that_ they loved. Of course her insistence could have had something to do with his uncle falling in love with a Sassafras tree. But to each their own…

His advice to Edam was, "Next time he asks you to do something accept his offer… Or maybe make one yourself and see what happens. I'm sure by the end of your little rendezvous you'll know whether he likes you or not."

A small smile graced Edam's features. It warmed the old bear's heart to see such a serene expression on the human's face. "Thanks, Harvey." He climbed to his feet and Harvey knew that meant it was time for Edam to get back to main camp. "I need to head back for supper. Oh and remember, cookout is Thursday this week. Stay away from camp that day."

Harvey gave an indignant snort, "I'm not going anywhere near there that day. Learned my lesson last time, thank you very much. After they tranqued me it took me _days_ to find my way back here." Obviously, still a sore subject for the bear. Edam chuckled lightly.

He walked back to main camp and made his way to the mess hall. Once there he snuck into the kitchen to grab his food and run. He didn't like eating with so many people. And the cook liked him so she often had food wrapped up and ready for him to grab. He's pretty sure the cook thinks he's anthropophobic.

When he was about to leave the kitchen Jerry sauntered in the door.

Edam went to continue out the door, but stopped when a warm hand wrapped around his arm. "Edam, wait."

He turned to look at Jerry.

The man had a pitiful puppy dog look on his face. Edam gave an inward sigh. It was no fair using a face like that. He'd listen to pretty much anything the man had to say after seeing _that_ pathetic face.

"I'm sorry about earlier. It's just… You always seem so busy. And I've been trying since camp started to have some time alone with you," the man kind of trailed off at the end. Edam was just barely able to make out what he said.

And truthfully he hadn't even realized that Jerry had asked him to hang out on more than one occasion. The first couple weeks of the summer had been rough in terms of set up. He apologized for his lack of time.

Jerry nodded his head and let go of Edam's arm.

Before he could change his mind or think more on the situation Edam opened his mouth and initiated an invite, "I'll be free on Friday. If you can stay the weekend we could go stargazing then."

Jerry's face lit up with a dazzling smile and Edam's stomach did a flip-flop. He gave his own little smile and quickly scurried out of the kitchen to eat dinner in the comfort of his shack.


	3. A Night Under the Stars

Friday came before Edam was ready. Soon enough him and Jerry were in the nice open field, spreading a blanket on the damp grass.

As the blanket settled on the ground Edam heard it.

A voice.

A tiny sounding squeak coming from under the sheet. "It's squishing me! Get it off!" the panicked voice cried.

Right when Jerry was about to plop down on the blanket Edam snatched it away in a flourish and frantically began scanning the grass with his eyes.

"Why'd you do that?" Jerry grumbled. He looked at Edam crossly, expecting an answer. But the groundkeeper just bent down and picked up something that had been clearly under the sheet. Something small.

He turned around and Jerry saw a fuzz ball of a mouse resting in his palm

"How did you _see_ that with the blanket there?" Jerry asked in awe. And Edam didn't know what to say. Truth be told Edam hadn't seen the mouse. If the mouse hadn't talked to him… well it wouldn't have been a good night.

But he wasn't going to tell Jerry that. He fumbled for a story. "Uhh… I saw him before you put the blanket down," he said trying to make the story sound believable but it still came out as more of a question than a statement.

Edam could tell that Jerry didn't quite buy his story but to his immense relief the other man just nodded his head and let the matter drop. He collected the blanket and spread it out on the ground.

"Anymore mice?"

Edam shook his head.

"Good," Jerry sat down. "Are you going to sit down?" he asked looking up to Edam. The man was still holding that mouse. And it looked like… No… it couldn't be… Yeah it was definitely kissing Edam's thumb. Over and over again.

The mouse kept kissing and thanking Edam, but he still managed to fumble into a seated position next to Jerry. Deciding to break up the little love fest the mouse was having with his hand Edam tried to coax him off saying, "You can go now."

"Can't I stay with you a little longer?" It asked in its little squeaky voice. Edam gave a short nod and looked over to Jerry, who was now laying back and looking at the stars. He set the mouse down next to him and lay back, getting more comfortable. The mouse scrambled up onto his chest and laid there.

Jerry saw the tiny fuzz ball make itself at home on Edam's chest and inwardly pouted. Never in all his years had he ever imagined he'd be jealous of a mouse, but as he watched the thing, curled up and content on that incredible man's chest he knew that's what he was. Jealous of a stinking mouse. How pathetic.

But then, he has a crush on Edam ever since he first saw the man. At first it had been attraction to the lithe man's features. The feathery soft black hair and light grey eyes. The dusting of freckles that covered pretty much all of the man's visible skin. Jerry wondered if the rest of Edam was just as speckled. Yes, he had been attracted to Edam's appearance immediately.

Once he got to know the man he could honestly say things changed. He was absolutely smitten. The longer they stay together the more Jerry came to love the man.

And it hurt that the love was one sided. But for how straight forward Jerry was about just about everything else he couldn't bring himself to tell Edam how he felt. He feared the rejection and loss of friendship that could result from the confession. Edam's friendship meant too much to risk it.

He didn't even know if Edam was interested in guys… girls or anything at all really.

Jerry focused his attention to the sky to the sky, hyperaware of the warm body laying comfortably to his right. For a while they just watched the stars in companionable silence.

There was a quiet squeaking and a muttered "bye," from Edam and Jerry just knew he was talking to the mouse who was scampering away into the night. Alone at last.

Edam scooted a little closer to him. Their arms were almost touching. He welcomed the warmth the closeness brought but still gave the man a questioning look. He clearly wanted something. Edam licked his lips. "Tell me the names of some of the constellations," he requested softly.

Jerry gave him a strange almost disbelieving look. For how often the man was outside, he assumed Edam would know all about the stars. And Jerry had learned the names of at least the basic ones in school. "Do you know any of them already?"

"Just the bears," Edam admitted, clearly embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.

"How did you not learn them in school?" Jerry asked, not trying to be mean, he was just shocked that he only knew two.

He watched the other man sit in silence the steady rise and fall of his chest the only movement in the still night. Edam heaved a sigh. "I… was taught _different_ names for the constellations growing up. I know the bears because they're pretty much the same," the groundkeeper explained.

Jerry found that explanation curious. He thought everyone was taught the same basic star arrangements. What were his constellations called? He decided he would like to know that very much. To know something so constant in the man's life would be amazing. Stars didn't change like so much around them. "Will you teach me some of the constellations you know?"

He was rewarded by a huge grin and a swift nod of the head.

Jerry decided he'd start the little exchange of knowledge and began searching the sky for a constellation that was easier to locate. He quickly found the large cross in the sky and showed Edam where it was. "That's called Cygnus. It's a swan."

"Ah. Yes! I see it. What's the bright star near it called?" Edam asked excitedly.

Bright star? Oh he was probably talking about… "Vega. That's actually part of Lyra, the lyre."

"Oh… I don't know a name for that group." Edam admitted. "But the name I was taught for Cygnus is Slaktarefiskus." Edam glanced over at his friend and laughed at the wide eyed expression on his face. "Yeah. Cygnus is just a little easier to say," Edam said smiling kindly.

"And spell," Jerry added. I he had that word on a spelling test in elementary school he _knew_ he would have had points off. "What exactly does Slak- Slakter-

"Slaktarefiskus?" Edam spoke the word with practiced ease.

"Yeah that. What's its story?"

And so Edam happily told the abridged story of the constellation. "Well, it's a fish killer. But depending on who you talk to it's either a vicious and terribly heroic cat or an extremely monstrous fish that slays pretty much anything that moves."

It was getting chilly. Edam moved closer to Jerry for warmth, totally unaware of how uncomfortable he was making the other man. "What's your favorite one up there?"

Jerry let out a strangled laugh. "It's kind of embarrassing how common it is"

"Why would that be embarrassing?" the other man asked perplexed.

"Astronomy's what I specialize in at school," Jerry explained.

Oh. Okay. That made sense then. "Well… I won't know it anyway. So teach me about it," Edam ordered smiling at the other man innocently.

So Jerry told him about his favorite constellation. And Edam soaked in every word the man spoke. The deep voice was steady and soothing as it spun a tale of a vain queen who was placed in the stars upside down for most of the year as punishment for saying her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereid. Which apparently was not true.

Edam sighed content. There was a comfortable moment of silence where he just let himself take in everything around him. The gentle breeze that was blowing the grass. A family of bats eating bugs. He was shaken out of that state when Jerry's arm brushed against his. Butterflies were flying cyclones in his stomach. Heat flooded to the area that Jerry had grazed.

It was official. He liked Jerry. A lot. Still he was hesitant to act on his feelings. What if Harvey was wrong and Jerry was just trying to be friendly. What if that's all Jerry ever wanted of Edam? Friendship.

"What's your favorite?" the man asked.

Edam looked up at the stars. Which was his favorite? There were so many to choose from.

Jerry watched Edam, waiting intently to learn more about the man. Then after a couple minutes Edam finally pointed to a group of stars. Gemini. Castor and Pollux. "What is it called?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Just Cat. It's a very important constellation. It represents everything good and bad and just plain strange about cats." Edam explained. "It's the first constellation I learned."

"So… you like cats," it wasn't a question. It was clear that Edam was fond of cats. His gentle expression said more than words could ever convey.

"I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't been for my cats," Edam spoke with conviction.

They lapsed into silence.

"Oh look!" Jerry pointed toward a section of sky. "There's a satellite moving over there. It's faint there it is," he followed its path with his finger.

"Where?" Edam asked sitting up to apparently get closer to the sky.

"There," Jerry pointed still following the little moving dot. He sucked in a surprised breath as Edam crawled partially on top of him still looking for the satellite. He just couldn't find the object in the sky.

Edam abandoned his search for the moving object and looked down at Jerry. And he realized he put himself in a slightly embarrassing position. He was _really_ close to Jerry. Almost lying on top of him. But he didn't make any move to change their position.

Jerry's gaze met Edam's and the satellite was forgotten. All the stars in the sky were forgotten. In all their celestial beauty, they could not match the shining beauty of the man in front of his eyes. Before he could stop himself he placed the hand that had been following the satellite on Edam's cheek, caressing it gently. He inwardly cringed at his action. This definitely crossed the invisible line known as friendship.

Edam couldn't believe this was happening. Jerry hand was touching his face. In more than a _friendly_ manner. His heart was hammering in his chest. Maybe Harvey was right. Those butterflies from earlier were practically creating a vortex inside of him. He found himself focused on Jerry. More specifically Jerry's lips. They looked so kissable. Edam hadn't even realized he was inching closer to those wonderful lips until their noses touched. The small contact caused Edam to jolt backwards, shaking his head to rid himself of his lustful thought trail.

Jerry sat up and coughed awkwardly. That was too close for nothing to happen. He wanted something to happen and he really had thought Edam was going to kiss him. His gaze flicked to Edam when the man cleared his throat. "I still can't see it," he whispered, voice heavy with what Jerry was hoping was arousal.

"Oh well, there's roughly 3000 of them up there. I'll show you one some other time." Jerry promised.

Edam smiled upon hearing the other's words. He was glad that he hadn't blown their friendship with that almost kiss.

Jerry stood up and offered a hand down to the groundkeeper. "Come on," he said gently, "let's get back to central camp."


	4. Hurt

Now might be a good time to explain Edam's living situation at his summer job a little better. Most residents stayed in tents. There were very few buildings only the higher-ups like camp director and nurse and Edam got to stay in cabins. Edam hated his cabin. It was out of the way, smelled bad and even leaked in the rain. Now Edam didn't have a problem with rain, but if he was inside he was under the firm belief that he shouldn't be getting wet. He'd rather stay in a tent. At least then it would have made sense that he'd get a little damp.

Usually he slept outside on the small deck that hung off the side of the cabin. But for some reason that night he elected to sleep inside.

He tossed and turned, not comfortable in his bed for a majority of the night. Then in the early hours of morning he was roused from his fitful sleep by a light but persistent scratching on his front door.

Edam stumbled out of bed, making his way over to the door. It took him two tries to actually open the door in his sleepy haze. When it was finally open a bobcat burst into his room.

"Geez, you bastard! Took you long enough to open the damn door," the cat hissed, looking at him with angry eyes.

Edam was still trying to figure out why there was a bobcat in his cabin. "Why are you here?" he yawned.

"I've been looking for you forever. Well not me, really, Harvey's bear friend's been fuckin' looking."

Edam's brow crinkled in confusion. He never even met Harvey's bear friend. Harvey knew where he lived, why wouldn't he come himself. He asked the cat that very question.

The cat hesitated before looking away from Edam and saying in an evasive manner, "something happened."

Edam's heart leapt to his throat. It felt like ice water had been dumped on his head and he suddenly felt wide awake.

He rushed around his cabin to find something to wear outside. Edam fumbled to get his coat on and crammed his shoes on as he was running out the door. He didn't bother to tie them, that would have taken too long. The cat was already leading the way to wherever Harvey was.

To Edam's surprise they stayed on one of the main camp roads for a while. He had expected to go tromping off into the woods straight away. Right when the cat veered off into the woods Edam ran into something hard. Brushing it off he quickly went to follow the bobcat but was caught around the arm. Apparently that something he ran into was a some _one_ because that was definitely a hand around his bicep. "Jesus, Edam, where's the fire?" and it was Jerry.

Edam tried to shake off Jerry's hand, to pull away and keep running after the cat. But Jerry wouldn't let him go. He took one look at Edam's face and knew something was majorly wrong. The man looked terrified. "What's wrong?" Jerry asked seriously.

Edam tugged harder to free his arm, "I need to help Harvey."

Well _damn_. That wasn't the answer Jerry was expecting. Edam was frantic over trying to help some guy.

"Who's Harvey?" Jerry asked.

Edam just pulled at his arm again, in no state to answer the question. And he was wasting precious time. For all he knew Harvey was hurt, trapped somewhere. He could even be dying.

Making up his mind Jerry drawled, "Well, guess I have no choice but to go with you." Edam was so distracted at the moment he would have agreed with anything if it meant getting to Harvey faster.

Jerry finally let him go and Edam shot off into the woods, the other man right behind him.

But there was a problem. Edam had lost sight of the cat. "Where are you?" he called.

"Here," the cat answered jumping from a tree.

"He's coming too," Edam told the cat while pointing at Jerry.

Okay… Jerry was confused. A freaking cat jumped from a tree and Edam was _talking_ to it. Like really talking. And it looked like the bobcat knew what was being said. It was a real Lassie moment.

The cat appeared to motion for Edam to follow and they began barreling their way through to woods. Edam stopped suddenly and Jerry almost ran into him.

"Jesus," he wheezed out.

There in front of him was not one but _two_ black bears. Which was two more than he ever hoped to see while out in the middle of nowhere.

The smaller of the two was pacing back and forth letting out little clipped barking noises. It sounded distressed. And the larger one was whining in pain. Jerry could see its foot was in a metal clamp-like trap.

Edam stepped forward eyes transfixed on his friend. He had to get that trap off Harvey's leg and fast. The smaller bear growled in warning.

Jerry's eyes widened at the hostile animal. He was no expert, but it sounded like the bear wanted them to back off. "I don't think this is a good idea," Jerry grabbed at the groundkeeper's arm but his grip was shrugged off. He watched in apprehension as Edam continued forward.

Apprehension turned to horror when the smaller bear let out a ferocious growl and went for Edam with a mighty paw. It didn't take Jerry too long to realize he could do absolutely nothing to stop the attack from happening. Edam was out of reach and the bear was coming faster than Jerry knew he could move. And with the way the bear was behaving, once it got a hold of Edam it wasn't going to let go until the thing threatening it was no longer a threat. Unless something happened in the next millisecond he was sure this bear would attack Edam.

And Edam was going to die.


	5. Teamwork

"Don't you touch him!" the female bear screamed as she lunged at Edam.

Edam didn't know what to do his mind was moving a million miles a minute. There Harvey was on the ground and he was going to be attacked before he could help his friend. She was coming too fast for him to move.

"Wait!" Edam yelled. At the same time Jerry called, "Edam!"

All at once the bear stopped her attack and looked at the human curiously. "You're Edam?"

"Yes," the man in question nodded. He reached out and greeted the bear placing a hand gently on her side.

"Wait, Edam," Jerry's voice was full of disbelief. Hadn't that bear been just about to kill him? And now he was what… _talking_ to it. And _touching_ it. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Edam looked back at the other man and gave him a smile. "She's fine now. She was just trying to protect him." He said motioning to the trapped bear. Then turning his attention back to the bear he asked, "What can I do to help?"

She motioned to Harvey. "He's stuck in a hunter's trap. We can't get it off," she practically wailed.

"Harvey," Edam moaned. It came out as a breathy sob. He staggered his way over to his downed friend.

"Hey Edam. Do me a favor and help me out here," the bear requested giving a weak chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out," Edam promised through the tears in his eyes. He _had_ to get Harvey out.

The trap was biting into Harvey's back left foot. The angry metal teeth ripping through tender flesh. Edam kneeled next to his friend and went to twist the releasing mechanism that he saw on the side of the trap. In theory, twisting it should have opened the trap up. It wouldn't budge.

"Damn," he hissed.

Desperately he tried to pry the teeth apart far enough for Harvey to slip his foot through. He tried sticks rocks, a combination of pretty much everything at his disposal, but it wouldn't budge.

Harvey nudged the man, "What's wrong?"

"I can't get it apart. It's stuck," Edam practically sobbed.

Jerry couldn't believe what he was seeing. Or hearing.

Harvey was a bear. That was stuck in a trap. That Edam was most definitely talking to. And they were talking _back_.

But… then again, they were led to the bear by a bobcat. His heart lurched as he heard Edam utter an anguished cry. He couldn't get the trap off.

Edam was about to reach his hands in between the biting metal when Jerry stepped forward. He had come to help and here was his chance. Besides, he couldn't let Edam wreck his hands trying to save the bear. He rested a hand on Edam's shoulder and crouched down next to him.

In a gentle voice he spoke, "Can I help?"

Tears of gratitude fell from Edam's eyes. Not trusting himself to speak, without making a fool of himself, he nodded to Jerry.

Then together they managed to pry the trap off of Harvey's foot.

The bear just sat there and breathed slow deep breaths for a few minutes. Then he slowly stood up and gingerly put weight on his injured foot. It wouldn't support much, but at least to Jerry's untrained eyes the injury looked like it would heal nicely.

Jerry's billionth surprise of the night came next. Edam wound his arms around the Harvey's neck and the bear nuzzled him in return. It was such a kind heartfelt gesture and he marveled over the sincerity of emotions coming from the pair. They really _were_ friends.

Pulling back from the embrace Edam whispered, "Will you be okay? Do you need anything else?"

"Don't worry about me. Priscilla will take care of me. Thanks for getting the trap off. Opposable thumbs really do make all the difference." The two bears said their goodbyes and started to slowly walk away.

"Hey Harvey?" Edam called.

The bear turned to glance at his friend. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're alright. And… tell the bobcat I said thanks. For leading me to you."

Harvey gave a low chuckle, "I'll let Bob know," they walked away, leaving the two men by themselves.

A small laugh broke free from Edam's lips. Jerry gave him a questioning look and that's when Edam remembered that not everyone could understand animals. "The bobcat's name was bob," he explained.

"Must be a family name," Jerry joked.

Edam bent down and gathered the trap, a look of disgust plastered on his face. "I hate things like this. Why is this even on camp property?" he spat.

Jerry didn't know what to say to that so chose an agreeable silence. Then he thought. Surely he'd get an explanation about what just happened. But knowing Edam, the man wasn't going to tell him anything unless absolutely necessary. "Oh, and I just wanna know, what the hell _was_ that?" He made a grand sweeping motion with his hands.

Edam thrust the metal contraption closer to Jerry, "This, this is a bear trap." He said the answer like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not that. The whole bloody thing. It was like you were talking-

Edam silenced him with a stern look and a raise of his hand.

His expression was weary as he focused on Jerry. "Not here… Not now… I'll… I'll explain back in my room…" he promised.

Jerry couldn't wait to hear his explanation.


	6. Damn

When they got back to Edam's cabin Jerry went in and made himself at home, plopping down on the lone futon that did nothing to fill up the space in the room while Edam got rid of the trap. Then, true to his word, he came in and sat down next to Jerry and began telling, pretty much, his life story. And Jerry was captivated. From the very first sentence of, "It all started with cats," Jerry was hanging off of his every word.

And Jerry believed what Edam was saying. How could he not after witnessing so much first hand? This was a wonderful gift. That explained so many small oddities about Edam.

Edam fixed a sobering gaze on his friend. Tears were welling up and then slowly spilled out of those stormy eyes. Not knowing what else to do, Jerry enveloped the man into a hug. He gently rubbed his hand up and down Edam's back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "And tonight. It was the first time I've ever been so scared," he hiccupped. "I thought I was going to lose Harvey."

A wave of compassion surged through Jerry. He brought his hands up and rested them on either side of Edam's face. He knew exactly how Edam felt. Because he had never been so scared before in his life. He really thought that bear was going to maul Edam to death. And he cherished Edam as much as Edam cherished Harvey, if not more.

And if Edam had been lost. If things wouldn't have worked out… Jerry would never know if his feelings were reciprocated. He had the sudden burning desire to let Edam know how he felt. He caressed Edam cheek gently causing the man to give him a questioning look. Jerry held his gaze. "I thought I was going to lose you. And I would have never gotten to do this."

Edam's heartbeat sped up as Jerry leaned in. He uttered a surprised yelp as chapped lips met his. A surge of electricity seemed to shoot through him immediately turning him into a puddle of goo. He returned the kiss easily and with gusto.

Jerry had been really worried at first. He thought Edam wasn't going to respond. But when the man practically melted in his arms he knew his bold move had been worth it.

And… Edam was kissing him back!

Everywhere their bodies touched was an intense, pleasurable heat. Jerry let out a moan and pulled the smaller man closer to him. He smirked in satisfaction when Edam let out a mewl of approval.

They shared a few more fevered kisses before Jerry reluctantly pulled back. Edam gave Jerry a look that told him he better have a _very_ good reason for stopping. "So, this might be a bad time to ask," Jerry began causing Edam to snort out a laugh, "but would you go out with me when camp's over?"

Edam groaned. That was not an acceptable reason to stop the kissing. Why would Jerry even think he'd have to ask. Edam crawled on top of Jerry and pushed the man down so he was straddling him on the futon. Their groins were _not quite_ touching.

Edam leaned forward to Jerry's ear and nipped it lightly before whispering, "Who says we can't start now?" He punctuated the sentence by grinding against Jerry's… package and was delighted by the pleasurable friction and moan that he managed to coax out of Jerry.

"But the kids…" Jerry protested in between little pecks Edam was planting all over his skin.

"As long as we don't do this in front of them, it'll be fine." Edam said easily. Jerry severely doubted it would be as easy as Edam had made it sound to keep his hands off the man. Especially now that he knew Edam had feelings for him too.

" _Damn!_ " Edam swore.

"What?" Jerry asked going completely still with the drastic change in atmosphere.

Edam crawled off of the other man and gave him a grim smile. "Those traps were on camp property. I'm gonna have to haul ass and check all the trails and surrounding areas to make sure there are no more. I mean look at what that trap did to Harvey."

"Yeah?" Jerry said hesitantly.

"Now imagine what it could do to a limb that's one fourth the size of his."

Jerry winced at the very notion. And then he realized that they wouldn't be seeing too much of each other until Edam's sweeps were done.

" _Damn_ ," he grumbled.


	7. Help

Everyday Edam went through the trails of the camp stapling POSTED signs to trees and sweeping each area closely for traps. Often times he'd have animals accompanying him. He saw Bob again and even met her cousin Bobbi. He'd taken to walking around with a stick or broom handle out in front of him so that his leg wouldn't find itself in a trap. And it was working. For the most part.

Although there was that one time when he almost stepped on a trap similar to Harvey's. And if the animals hadn't stopped him. Well, it would have been bad.

And the time the rattle snake stopped him from stepping on a particularly well hidden one.

Both times he had used the stick to set the traps off and then gathered the spent hunks of metal to be destroyed.

So far a staggering eight traps had been found on camp property. And as far as Edam was concerned, that was eight too many. The worst part was, he couldn't make the hunters stop. If he saw them, he could have said something to them and proceed accordingly. But he hadn't seen any trace of the person(s) responsible.

And every night he went home to Jerry. They would talk about their day. Jerry had incredible stories of campers. Edam had tales of the animals. All in all, Edam decided he was quite content with his life. He reckoned, besides the annoyingly dangerous traps, everything was as it should be. He was happy.

He decided he was a lucky guy to have the kind of life that was suited for him.

So, of course something would happen to change his state of contentness.

Edam had finished his sweeps earlier than normal and decided to meander through the woods with no real destination in mind. He had set his stick down somewhere along the way and hadn't bothered to pick up a new one. It had been a while since he had found any traps and Edam figured that there were no more on camp property.

He lazily walked on one of his favorite routs in the camp. A deer trail that had beautiful tall grasses and many happy animals to talk to. It was quiet in the area, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Rain was coming and the animals had already taken shelter. He loved the smell that came before a storm. Didn't like getting wet much, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to walk on the beautiful trail. He looked up at the sky. It was gray and seemed to be getting darker all the time. The direction of the wind shifted and it was wonderful. He heard the pitter-patter of a hard rain as it slowly advanced towards him. And then it was there and he was soaked.

Edam smiled and decided he'd continue on the path a little more before calling it a day. There was no point in just turning around now. He was already soaked. And the cool rain felt good against his skin. It had been a rather hot and humid day.

He heard a clanging of metal. And toppled to the ground. Then the pain hit. A horrible pain… on his right ankle. He looked to see a trap clamping tightly into his flesh.

"Oh," was all he managed to say. He realized quickly that he was in a bad position. Not only was it raining, but it was nearing night time. Blood was flowing freely from the wound and the clamped teeth were embedded so far into his flesh that he could have easily severed the little remaining strings that were keeping the appendage from being completely severed. But if he severed the appendage completely, how would he get out of the woods? Heck, how would he get out anyway? The walk was long and there was no question that he'd have to crawl.

First thing first, he'd have to get the trap off of his leg. Or out of the ground.

He tried in vain to get the trap off of himself, but the blood and water made the metal slick and his hands would slip into the meaty ruins of his leg. "Shit," he hissed. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Even if he _did_ get the trap off there was no way he was getting out of the woods without help.

"Somebody help," he called hoarsely. Desperation causing his voice to crack. Who was going to hear him out in the middle of the woods? And there were no animals around. They all had taken shelter from the rain. "Help," Edam tried again weakly. If nobody came he knew he'd bleed, bleed probably until he died. The pain was already starting to disappear, turning instead to an alarming numbness. His heart rate increased, he'd rather feel pain than nothing. Nothing was bad.

Just as he was ready to call for help again, a family of opossums ambled their way over. "Oh my, that's one mean trap you've got there."

"Oh yeah, real doozy," the other agreed good-naturedly.

"Please," Edam gasped out, "please find Harvey or Pricilla," he practically begged. They needed to hurry. He didn't know how long he had before things got bad… Okay, things were already bad, but they could get a lot worse.

"Oh, those bears?"

"Yeah the bears," the other one confirmed, "We better hurry. When the buzzards start landing you know they don't have long." They scooted away as fast as their tiny legs would carry them.

 _Buzzards_? Edam looked up to the trees in a haze. There _was_ a buzzard there. Watching him with beady eyes.

"I'm gonna eat you," it said.

Edam's eyes fluttered closed. If the buzzard wanted to eat him, he wouldn't even be able to put up a fight.

"Edam!" Harvey roared, seeing the human laying on the damp forest floor. He thought the opossums had been exaggerating with how bad the groundskeeper's condition was, but if anything he looked worse. His leg was in ribbons, bloody and distorted. Muddy clumps clung to the torn up flesh. His breathing was shallow and there were three buzzards patiently waiting for him to die.

Harvey growled at them, "Nobody's _eating_ him." He rammed the tree for good measure and was satisfied when they squawked and flew away. Until they landed in a different tree.

He growled in disgust. Edam _wasn't_ dead.

"Harvey?" A weak voice whispered. And just like that, the birds didn't matter anymore. He only had eyes for Edam. He nuzzled the boy gently with his snout. Edam chuckled and reached a shaky hand up to pet the velvet fur above the bear's nose. "Harvey… can you… get Jerry," the human managed to gasp out.

"Pricilla's already gone to look for him. She'll bring him back here soon," the bear assured gently his heart clenched in a pain he had never felt before when he watched the human smile weakly. This was an animal filled with hope, a will to live so strong. Harvey knew Edam would try his hardest to stay alive. He only hoped that his friend wasn't too late to save him.

 

* * *

 

Pricilla paced back and forth on the green. She saw the human she was looking for enter a building, but she couldn't very well go into the place after the guy. She whined. If Edam died…

She was about to go find another less intimidating animal to get the man's attention when he exited the building. She called to him in greeting and then remembered that he couldn't understand her. Not everybody was like Edam.

 _Okay, why is there a bear standing outside the dining hall_? Was the first thought that formed in Jerry's mind upon seeing the animal so close to main camp. Then he realized he knew the bear. It was the smaller one from the woods that day. She was looking in his direction and making whining barking noises.

Jerry's stomach dropped through the floor. She had made those noises when Harvey was in trouble. What if something had happened to the bear? Edam was still out doing his sweeps of the area. He might not make it in time to help the bear.

Jerry decided it was up to him to save the bear in Edam's stead. He couldn't imagine how upset Edam would be if something happened to the bear. Jerry walked up to the bear and squared his shoulders saying, 'Show me where he is."

The bear nodded.

She lead him through the woods at a fast pace, constantly peering back over her shoulders to make sure she wasn't losing the human. The man kept up remarkably well. When she reached her area where Edam and Harvey were located she went and stood next to her mate.

"How is he?" she asked.

Harvey just shook his head.

Jerry realized the bear had stopped… and Harvey was standing next to her completely unharmed. Why had she brought him into the woods?

Then he smelled it. That metallic stench that came with blood. Lots of blood. But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. That prone figure on the ground. "Jesus, God," he breathed bringing a hand up to his mouth. "Edam!"

He raced over to the man. _Oh god_. He was stuck in a trap. The flesh of his leg looked like ribbon and the appendage hung at a weird angle. It looked like there was barely anything keeping the limb together. Edam's eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow.

" _Shit_ ," he swore. He had to get the trap off. He tried prying it apart but his hands became slick with blood. "Hang on Edam," he ordered.

He quickly pulled his shirt over his head and began wiping his hands and the trap off, wiping gently at the areas that were biting into Edam's flesh. He didn't want this to hurt anymore than absolutely necessary. Then using the shirt as a grip he tried again to pry the trap off and was successful.

Jerry thought he was going to be sick. The leg looked so much worse now that it was free from the trap. He could tell it really was just dangling there. Jerry took his shirt and tied it around the wound hoping to stem the blood flow and keep the limb attached.

He gingerly picked the man up and turned to the bears. "Thank you. I promise I'll save him."

They nodded and Jerry nodded back to them. They understood even without a shared language. He turned and made his way swiftly through the woods.

It was time to make good on his promise to the bears. He had to make sure Edam lived.


	8. Two Months

Edam woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was white, clean and definitely _not_ camp. He raked a hand through his hair and frowned as he felt a tug on his skin near his elbow. Looking down, he realized he had an IV in his arm. _Shit_ he was in a hospital.

How had he gotten there. He tried to think. He remembered being in the woods, It had been raining and he had been checking for traps. _Traps!_ That's right he had been checking for traps when one had closed on his ankle. His right ankle. He started to panic. He was in a hospital, after something like that.

He flung the thin white sheet off of his legs to see...

 _Oh God_. He brought a hand up to his mouth trying to hold back a sob. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill out.

His leg was gone. It had been taken off just below the kneecap.

How was he going to do his job, without a leg?

And just then a nurse strode into the room. "Oh, you're awake!" she cried excitedly, "I'll go get the doctor!"

A few minutes later a stern looking woman wearing a nice clean white coat walked into his room with a clip board. "Good afternoon Mr. P-"

"Edam's fine," he interrupted.

"Edam," the doctor finished, a softness to her voice that he hadn't really expected.

When she didn't go on immediately he asked quietly, "What happened?" while gesturing to his leg.

"When you arrived here your leg was completely disconnected," Edam winced at this news. Last time he remembered, it had been attached by a little bit. "Which, doesn't necessarily mean the limb will stay unattached. Unfortunately, in your case, the nerves were too damaged and could not be reattached. We tried for hours to save your leg. I'm sorry it couldn't happen," and she did look sorry. Edam would have liked to have blamed her, but he knew it wasn't her fault this had happened.

" _Fuck_ ," he breathed.

"Fuck is right," the doctor said with a small smile.

"Will I be able to walk again?"

Here the doctor smiled at him, "Oh yes. I'm not gonna lie, it'll be a hard process, but we'll get you fitted with a prosthetic and into physical therapy. If you really put your mind to it, you should be able to walk pretty much unassisted in about two months."

Two months... It was August. That put him past when school started.

He looked at the doctor, determined, "Let's get started then."

 

* * *

 

Jerry sighed. It had been nearly three months since he had dropped Edam off at the hospital. The camp had made him come back when it was clear that Edam would be there a while, and he hadn't been able to see the man. Now the camp season was over and he feared he wouldn't see Edam until next summer. He didn't want that to happen. Couldn't let Edam think he had just abandoned him after leaving him in the hospital.

Maybe he'd be able to visit Edam this weekend, swing by wherever the man was from for a little surprise visit. Yeah that's what he'd do. He rested his head on the uncomfortable chair desk. Why were lectures so boring?

He thought with the transfer to a new college he'd have more stimulating classes, but schools were all the same... And worse, the lecture had only started ten minutes ago. He still had another hour and ten minutes to go until the class was over. He closed his eyes.

Jerry was vaguely aware of the door opening, and a student came walking into the room, late. Instead of just taking a seat the person went and gave a quick note to the professor and then began making their way up the stairs.

Jerry could just make out, through his eyelashes, the shadowed figure made their way closer to his seat in the back.

Finally the person stopped in front of him, and Jerry decided he'd open his eyes and tell the person to move. He breathed in a gasp, "Edam?"

There in front of him was the beautiful groundskeeper, smiling ear to ear. Jerry did not hesitate in returning the mile.

"Is that seat taken?" Edam asked pointing to the seat right next to Jerry.

Jerry just shook his head and smiled. He wouldn't have to wait until the summer to see Edam. He'd probably be able to see the man every day!

As Edam sat down Jerry decided maybe this school wouldn't be to bad after all.


End file.
